Aisling, the Dreamer
by tsalyah
Summary: The guardians each had a favorite, though they were supposed to be impartial. For Jack had Jamie, and Bunny had Sophie, Tooth had Baby Tooth, North had Phil, and Sandy had a girl from America, though the others knew nothing of her. The prologue isn't great, so try to read at least the first chapter. This is my first fanfic, so i'd appreciate if all flames were kept to a minimum.
1. PreviewPrologue

The guardians each had a favorite, though they were supposed to be impartial. For Jack had Jamie, and Bunny had Sophie, Tooth had Baby Tooth, North had Phil, and Sandy had a girl from America, though the others knew nothing of her.

He had found her when she was young, a girl just starting to learn to read. Her dreams were strong and had a tendency to overwhelm her true memories. He was worried for the child, who had difficulty distinguishing dreams from reality, so he watched over her every night. As she grew, he realized her dreams were getting stronger.

Determined to understand why this child's belief grew stronger with age rather than waning, he started to watch her in the daytime. He noticed an almost constant presence of his dream sand stayed with her throughout the day. He soon discovered her power as a daydreamer. The girl emerged herself in the worlds of books and movies daily and nurtured her imagination to its fullest extent. Her name was Aisling.

She shared this while playing with her siblings, but Sandy saw in her a potential that he hadn't seen for centuries. As she grew older, she inevitably discovered her parents were the ones that staged Christmas and Easter and he despised the disappointment that crushed her heart. Strangely enough, the light that shone on the globe for her didn't go out, but just dimmed until it was barely noticeable. He checked in on her less in the years after to not draw attention to her.

As Aisling started middle school, he saw she would often leave reality for the world of her dreams during classes, though her grades were still perfect. He also noted that she was now able to control her dreams at night, becoming a lucid dreamer. When she started high school, some of her realistic dreams were crushed, but her other dreams only grew stronger until they became more powerful than even nightmares. She seemed to almost scoff at the darkness when it tried to take over, easily changing a potential bad dream into a good one.

Sandy had to stop visiting her for almost an entire year because Pitch had tried to send nightmare after nightmare to try to combat her pure dreams. This was already years after the battle and he had thought that if he could gain her fear, he would be much stronger again. After Pitch gave up on her, Sandy still didn't visit Aisling much, though he could constantly feel her dreaming. It hurt him to know that while she believed in all manner of beings and had even believed in the existence of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, she had not even given his existence a second thought.

The year the movie was released was a good year for the Guardians. They had all anticipated a boost in belief and were not disappointed. They were each stronger than ever. On the other side, Pitch was also more believed in and gained strength. It was Easter of her second year in high school when Aisling watched the movie. He knew it exactly because of the surge of power that burned through his veins. Her light on the globe was again bright and she had strong belief in the two lesser-known Guardians.

He visited her at night now and again, being extra careful to not reveal his presence. While the movie had spurned her belief in him, she had also believed in Pitch. Unconsciously, she had felt bad for him and had stopped turning the nightmares completely into good dreams. She would simply detach her strongest emotions from the dream and let only a slight piece of her fear flow through to give Pitch power. Sandy worried about this, but as Pitch made no irregular moves, decided to allow it.

Aisling continued dreaming even after she started college. Sandy had to visit even less because of her strange sleeping hours. It was now her third year in college and this is where the real story begins.


	2. Chapter 1: The Kidnapping

Chapter 1

Aisling watched the snow fall outside her window in large, fluffy flakes. She liked to call this kind of snowfall "Jack Frost Snow" because it was always the best for making snowballs. It was mid-March in Wisconsin and winter was beginning to near its end. This winter had worried her. There had been many abrupt changes between warm and cold and she hoped it had nothing to do with the spirits she believed in.

Her school was in the middle of spring break and she had nothing better to do than to stare out the window and daydream of someday seeing Jack Frost. She was well aware of what others would think of her daydreams and fantasies and kept them to herself. Alone at home, she was free to daydream all she wanted.

A thump from down the hall jerked her out of her musings. "Hello?" Aisling called uncertainly, she had thought everyone else had already left for the day. There was no reply, so she decided something had fallen and went to find whatever it was. There was nothing in the hallway, so she glanced into her brother's room. It was messy, but nothing but clothes were on the floor. Her sister's room was much cleaner and there was also nothing on the ground that would have made the noise.

The hall closet was more promising. An exercise ball was lying on the floor in a position where it may have fallen off the shelf. She sighed and picked it up, putting it back on the shelf before closing the door. A niggling feeling in her put her on edge and she had a sudden urge to turn around. There was a man standing there with his arm outstretched to grab her. Her heart rate jumped and she opened her mouth. Before she could do anything, his hand had covered her mouth and he pushed her backwards into nothing.

Having expected the resistance of the closet door, she fell onto her butt on a cold metal floor, looking up at the man. His greyed skin and black hair creeped her out to no end. He backed up and seemed to melt into the shadows created by the bars that were behind him. Aisling just sat there, mind trying to figure out what had just happened. She was now in some sort of cage in a place that was clearly not her home. Through the bars, she could see other cages hung around her. As far as she could tell, she was underground.

"Hey, are you alright?" a male voice asked from behind her. She turned her body to see a boy around her age sitting cross-legged in his own cage. A blonde girl who was probably in high school was in a cage next to him.

"I think so," she replied to him, "where are we?"

"I think we're in Pitch's lair?" the brown-haired boy replied almost nonchalantly.

"As in Pitch Black?" she said, incredulous. The movie 'Rise of the Guardians' was one of her favorites and she naturally believed it to be close to a true story. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," he said, "but we won't be here long, Jack will find us."

"Like Jack Frost?" she asked.

He nodded, but the girl next to him rolled her eyes. "How is your imaginary friend supposed to do anything?" Clearly she didn't believe anymore.

"Why do you still believe in the Easter Bunny, but not Jack?" the boy shot back, annoyed.

"Because the Easter Bunny is real," she said, "he comes to visit every year."

The boy opened his mouth to argue again, but Aisling interrupted. "So, how is Jack going to know we're here?" she asked.

The boy thought about it then said hopefully, "maybe he'll notice I'm missing."

"Great," Aisling said as the other girl rolled her eyes.

"My name's Jamie by the way, and this is my sister, Sophie," he said, trying to change the subject.

"Like the movie?" Aisling asked.

He nodded.

His sister looked less enthused. "That stupid movie isn't even true, it's just based off a stupid story prompt Jamie sent into the movie company for a contest."

Jamie and Aisling just looked at her. "If it wasn't real, how do you explain this?" Aisling asked.

"It's just a bad dream," Sophie replied.

"So, realistically, how long will it take someone-preferably one of the Guardians, to notice we're missing?" Aisling asked.

"At the very least, Bunny should notice we're missing at Easter." Jamie said.

"That's like a month away. Are we going to be okay?" Aisling asked.

Neither of the siblings replied.

The first night was rough. Sophie fell asleep first while Jamie and Aisling talked about college classes. Jamie was going for a Biology major with a Psychology minor for his undergrad and wanted to become a Pediatric Psychiatrist. Aisling was a Computer Science major and wanted to be a Game Designer. They were discussing a story Jamie was writing for his creative writing class when Jamie noticed a nightmare looming over his sister.

"No!" he shouted, leaping to his feet and into the bars closest to his sister's cage, "Leave her alone!"

But there was nothing either of them could do. The girl sank into a nightmare she couldn't escape from. Jamie went back into a sitting position. They watched her fearful face in silence for the next hour. Eventually, Jamie fell asleep and a nightmare immediately tainted his sleep. Aisling worried over them for a while before falling asleep.

She fought for the control of her dreams and succeeded. For the first time in a while, she turned a nightmare into a good dream. Her dreams went back and forth, at war with the nightmares all night. When she woke again, she hadn't had a great sleep, but she didn't look nearly as bad as the other two. They both had bags under their eyes and silence reigned for a while.

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 **This is just the first chapter, hope you liked it. The next chapter is a little darker, so be warned.**

 **Tsalyah**


	3. Chapter 2: The Nightmares

Chapter 2

By the end of the first week, the Bennet Siblings looked exhausted. Aisling was at least getting enough sleep to get by, but was still tired. Food and water was left in their cages while they slept.

Pitch decided to visit them for the first time exactly a week after he had kidnapped them. "How are the Mares treating you?" he asked Jamie and Sophie with an evil sneer. He then turned to Aisling. "The Nightmares tell me you give them trouble," he said calling a nightmare to take him up to her cage.

Aisling shrank against the bars of her cage, not liking his tone.

"You used to be so easy to give nightmares to when you were a baby. The night-terrors you gave into caused you to scream so much. Your mind was strong back then, but when you had enough interaction to weaken your thoughts, it was easy to taint you. A pity you grew out of that." He rambled on as he came closer. "Perhaps, it will be fun to break you again."

Aisling prided herself in not being afraid of nightmares, but uncertainty crossed her thoughts as she was reminded of a time when she was vulnerable. She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid of what this man might do.

He laughed. "I can feel it. You fear me. I think it is time you gave into the nightmares again." He formed his nightmare sand into a knife. She couldn't move as he bent to her sitting level. He looked straight in her eyes as he made a cut on her arm. It wasn't large, perhaps only as wide as a penny. It didn't even hurt that much. Confusion showed as she looked down at the small cut.

Pitch smiled at her confusion and took some sand in his hand, telling her, "nightmare sand is much more effective when in the blood stream." Her eyes widened in surprise and she yelped when he squeezed his hand around the cut on her arm. She was knocked out in seconds, her face fearful. He frowned as he saw the black in her arm's veins start to turn gold. Pitch ordered his nightmare to continually add more sand so she wouldn't be able to purify it fast enough.

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The next morning, he came back and ordered his nightmare to stop. The nightmare sand was slowly purified and she woke up breathing hard. She looked terrible, having fought for her mind all night. When he left, she tried eating and drinking the food left behind.

She was considerably paler than she had been the night before and only ate a little, looking like she wanted to throw up.

"Are you alright?" Jamie asked, his own voice sore from use during the night.

She shook her head slightly and he could see she was shaking from head to toe.

Pitch returned again that night to reopen the closed wound on her forearm and order the nightmare to give her sand all night.

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 **There's chapter 2. Who do you think will find them and when?**

 **Tsalyah**


	4. Chapter 3: The Search

Chapter 3

Sandy had been feeling off for about a week and a half. It was about two and a half weeks before Easter and the Guardians were having a meeting with Bunny to check on his progress at the Warren so he could continue to get work done while they were there. They had started checking on each other more often after the battle about a decade previous. As far as they could tell, everything was running smoothly.

North was clearly attempting to not start an argument with Bunny about Christmas vs. Easter and Tooth was watching as a couple of her fairies tried to help paint eggs while telling others where there were teeth to collect. Bunny was herding eggs into the die rivers and Sandy was just sitting quietly on one of the egg golems, watching everything happen. Jack was painting an egg with his tongue sticking out of his mouth.

Sandy watched Jack paint the egg carefully. It had taken him two years to convince Bunny he could help paint. Once Bunny had given him a chance, he proved to be an excellent painter of eggs, always producing very detailed designs, many of which looked distinctly like frost. Jack had laughed when they praised his work, saying that they should have expected it, seeing as he was the artist of winter.

Sandy fell off the golem when he saw the little wolf on the other side of Jack. The others looked over at the sound. They were confused at his clumsiness until they saw the dream sand wolf. It was the size of a fist and was slowly making its way toward Sandy. Its tail and head were low as if it were tired or unhappy. Jack watched it pass him, unwilling to touch the frail-looking creature.

Its ears perked up slightly as it stood in front of Sandy, but soon went down again. As Sandy picked up the little wolf, a voice came from it.

"Help. Please help. We need help." And the little wolf dissolved.

Sandy, already alarmed by a dream he was not the creator of, felt his heart drop through the ground. He knew the weak voice that came from the sand. Two exclamation points formed above his head to illustrate his surprise. Now that he thought of the girl he had known for years, he could feel how weak her-ever present dreams were. This was probably why he hadn't been feeling well. Now he had to explain to the other Guardians.

"What was that!?" Bunny exclaimed. There were queasy looks on the Guardians faces. Sandy tried to be as clear as possible in his pictures. He first pictured a child dreaming. Then he had the dream detach from the child and form a wolf.

"That was one of your dreams?" Tooth asked.

Sandy held out his thumb and pointer finger to say 'close' and pictured the child again, this time the child was making the dream with her hands-it was clearly a she this time.

"The girl made the dream?" Jack asked.

Sandy nodded. He made a picture of the globe and put a dot on it.

"A believer?" North asked.

Again a nod. Sandy scrunched up his face, deciding what to picture next. He settled for an 'SOS'.

"They need help!" Jack said.

Sandy nodded several times this time.

"Where are they?" asked Tooth.

Sandy tried to find her through his connection, an intense concentration showing on his face. When he couldn't find her, he shook his head sadly.

Tooth put her hand on his shoulder, "We'll find her."

Sandy gave a small smile.

"Right!" North took over, as he tended to, "Bunny, you stay here and finish work, we will go to pole and see what we can find."

The Guardians minus Bunny took a portal to the pole. "Let us start where she would normally be!" North declared as they entered the Globe Room. Sandy floated to the globe and pointed to the edge of Wisconsin, where Aisling usually lived.

They took the sleigh. Without Bunny's normal complaints, it was a smooth and silent ride out to the northern state. Once in the area, Sandy led them to the girl's home. The door was open, so they simply walked right in after landing on the front lawn. This was an emergency after all. There were seven people in the living room, none of which could see the Guardians.

Two were police officers, seemingly giving an update to the four sitting closely on the couch and the one on the rocking chair. They were discussing how no traces of entering could be found so it was likely 'the girl' was not in the house when she disappeared. It was also determined that she had likely been around the neighborhood because her vehicle was not missing and they were asking the neighbors if they had seen anything.

"A kidnapping?" North asked as Tooth covered her mouth with her hands in horror. Sandy looked down sadly and beckoned, they would see if they could find anything. He led them down the hallway to the girl's room. They saw nothing off as they searched her room. Sandy found a photograph and showed it to the other Guardians. It pictured a high-schooler in a prom dress.

"She's in high school?" Jack asked.

"That's pretty old to still believe." Tooth commented.

Sandy shook his head and dug a college acceptance letter from a folder that was dated three years prior.

"A college student!" Tooth exclaimed.

"She's in the same year as Jamie," Jack noted.

They made their way back out of her room, not having found anything. As they passed the hallway closet, Jack exclaimed "Wait!" and pointed to a dark patch on the carpet. Sandy bent down and picked up a dusting of nightmare sand, running it through his fingers.

"Pitch!" Tooth said.

"Why would he want her?" Jack asked.

Sandy looked sick as he went back into her room and grabbed a notebook labeled 'Dreams'. It was clearly a dream journal and was one of maybe six placed on the sizable bookshelf along with plenty of other notebooks with various labels and titles.

"She is dreamer?" North asked.

Sandy nodded solemnly. They headed back out to the sleigh after putting the book back.

"Where do we find Pitch?" Tooth asked.

"His old lair is in Burgess." Jack said, "we can start there."

Once headed toward Burgess, Jack asked to go check on Jamie quick. He went to a nearby college. The others readily agreed, thinking it a good idea to check up on another loyal believer while nearby. Jack excused himself to check Jamie's home. He came back clearly distraught.

"He's gone! Sophie is too. Their parents are in pretty much the same state as the other family." Jack sank to his seat in the sleigh as they headed for the woods near his lake.

 **There's the third chapter. So, Sandy noticed first, but only because Aisling sent for help. Maybe we'll see more the next Chapter:).**

 **Tsalyah**


	5. Chapter 4: The Approach

Chapter 4

By mid-week Aisling was looking terrible. It took her longer to purify the sand in her blood every morning. She was also physically weaker and no longer able to stand. Jamie and Sophie were sleep deprived, but not physically weak like Aisling. Jamie worried for the girl and wondered in a passing thought if nightmare sand could kill a person. By the fourth night of her nightmare educed sleep, it took her until noon to purify the sand and she was barely conscious.

Jamie watched as tears leaked from her eyes while she laid on the floor of the cage. Like usual, the dream sand left the wound as it was purified. The girl mumbled under her breath as she cried, unable to move any longer. She closed her eyes again and sank into unconsciousness. Unknown to her, but watched by the other two, the dream sand she expelled swirled into a form, unlike the other times. Their first thought was that she might be dreaming and it was her dream, but that thought was changed as the frail-looking wolf started walking off and disappeared out of the cave.

Jamie hoped desperately that the little wolf would go get help. He didn't think Aisling could hold on for much longer.

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Sandy and the others were disheartened to find that the entrance to Pitch's lair had closed. They returned to the Warren to update Bunny on the developments. He was extremely worried when he heard Pitch had kidnapped 3 believers, including his own favorite, Sophie.

Tooth sent out her fairies to search around Burgess for another entrance, but they returned without finding anything. After Tooth received the report they saw a shadow creep along the wall. Bunny threw a boomerang at it. Pitch's laugh echoed around the Warren as he stepped out of another shadow.

"tut tut," he said, "is that how you greet visitors?"

"Where are they?" Bunny asked, growling.

"Who?" Pitch asked, dodging a bolt of ice.

"You know who!" Jack exclaimed, "Where are the believers?"

"Those children you seem to adore?" Pitch almost purred, "I assure you they're well looked after. The dreamer girl in particular is quite valuable."

A golden whip caught his wrist and he looked over to see the normally calm sandy with anger in his eyes. Pitch simply smirked and tainted the whip. Sandy had to let go before it touched him.

They all stared him down, wondering how he had acquired such power.

"Oh, are you wondering how much power I've gained?" Pitch asked them mockingly, "I've gained more in the past few days than I have in the last 10 years. Sandy's favorite little girl has given me enough power to create an army. I'm sure it will be ready by Easter. Perhaps I should make a Nightmare Princess to lead it- the girl is almost at her breaking point after all. This Easter won't be like the last time, you better be prepared."

With another laugh, he disappeared. The Guardians were in a state of shock. Sandy sank to the ground, as he was in the front, Tooth flew up behind him. "I'm sure it will be alright," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder and looking at his face. What she saw made her touch down suddenly. Sandy was crying, large, golden tears running down his face. Tooth looked to North for help and they all gathered around their shortest member in a group hug.

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The rest of the week passed slowly for Jamie and Sophie, watching Aisling and having their own nightmares. At the end of their second week of captivity, Aisling had only finished purifying the sand five minutes before Pitch came in again. She looked up at him standing over her, unable to move or make a noise.

"Haven't you hurt her enough?" Jamie rasped angrily.

"Perhaps my Princess should have a Prince," Pitch mused to himself, striking fear into Jamie.

"What are you going to do to her?" Jamie asked.

Pitch didn't answer him, but took his knife, making a cut in his arm. A black, inky substance pooled into his hand. Aisling stiffened and whimpered when it entered her blood, having only enough strength to do so.

Jamie watched as her hair darkened and her skin turned a silvery color. Pitch picked up the unconscious girl and turned to Jamie with a smirk. "I'll deal with you later," he said.

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The girl woke up groggily, blinking silver eyes. She saw she was in a bed in a room with grey walls, grey sheets, and grey pillows. A man approached her.

"Who are you?" she asked him.

He smiled. "you don't remember?" he asked, "I am your father."

"Who am I? she asked.

"My daughter, Aisling Pitchner. It is good that you have awoken. I have been worried." He replied.

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The Guardians sent out messages to all the spirits on Earth, warning them of Pitch Black's return and the danger of his current state. All knew of the threat coming on Easter Sunday.

Jack himself personally visited his own family. His mom, Mother Nature, viewed messages as an insult and preferred the personal touch.

She calmly listened to his explanation and said gravely, "This is not good. That he has enough power to raise his armies bodes ill for this world. I shall ready the seasonal spirits."

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 **Yay chapter 4!**

 **Tsalyah**


	6. Chapter 5: The Training

Chapter 5

Sandy felt when Aisling's dreams disappeared and then reappeared again. They were different, but no longer as week as they had been. This heartened him slightly, but he couldn't help but worry still.

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Aisling was BORED. Her father told her to stay in her room until she felt better, locking the door behind him. She looked around for something to do, finding nothing but the grey walls and bed. There was also a nightmare in the room to watch her.

"Play with me?" she asked it.

The nightmare snorted, but began to trot around the room as she chased it. When she caught up to it, the nightmare turned around and chased her back. After a while, Aisling collapsed on her bed, exhaustedly laughing. The nightmare tossed its head and stood next to her bed, just as tired. Aisling gently ran a hand through the nightmare's sandy mane. The nightmare had a silvery sheen to its coat and became more silver with each stroke. Aisling sat up and watched as the nightmare turned a brilliant silver color, glowing in the dark room. As it glowed, it shifted into a silver sand wolf.

"Wow," she said, "Did I do this?"

The wolf huffed and leaped onto her bed, lying down around her.

"I like you better in this form," she told it, "How about I call you Luna?"

The wolf seemed to sigh happily and she took that as a yes. They fell asleep together that night.

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Her father came again in the morning. He stared at the sleeping pair before waking them up. "What happened?" he asked Aisling.

"I don't know?" Aisling said back, "We were playing and she turned colors and changed form."

Her father sighed, "You must learn to control your powers, Aisling, it could be dangerous if they go out of control."

"Sorry," she said.

"Come," he said, "I will teach you to fight today."

They spent a few hours trying to find a weapon suited to the girl. She was clumsy with staff and scythe, and kept dropping the ax and sword. They finally decided she could learn the bow. She had naturally good aim and hit the target in her first tries. She used a physical bow for her first practice sessions, but her father promised to teach her how to make her own weapons the next day.

Aisling went to bed content, Luna at her side.

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As promised, Pitch showed Aisling how to shape things with sand the next morning. They started with simple shapes like a ball or cube and then moved onto more complex shapes. Aisling was also a natural at forming the sand items and creating her own sand in a silver color. She had some difficulty keeping her shapes solid, but her father told her she was doing well and they would be sure to practice more the next day.

Throughout the afternoon, she again practiced with her bow and arrows. Her father left her with Luna to go take care of some business. Again, she went to sleep with a smile on her face.

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Her father took her outside their cave the next day. He showed her a protest at a place he called the 'White House'. He told her how the mortals were foolish creatures who were always fighting each other. He also said immortals fought too.

Pitch told the girl of the upcoming battle, stating how the other immortals hated him and wanted to destroy him. He also apologized to her for dragging her into the battle as his child.

Aisling hugged her father and forgave him. "Don't worry father," she said, "I'll fight too and make sure they don't kill you."

Aisling practiced dutifully when they returned to their home and fell asleep easily, thinking of the day's events.

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Pitch was confused by the girl. Her loyalty reminded him of his previous daughter. She also seemed to be more inclined towards the light than the darkness. He wondered whether her heart had purified the Fearling he had injected into her, but decided it didn't matter as long as she stayed loyal. A piece of his remaining conscience spoke up from the back of his mind, telling him that he should protect his princess.

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Aisling could tell her father was thrilled with her progress. While she couldn't travel by shadow, Luna seemed to be able to teleport with her wherever she wanted to go. Her father had made her promise to never go anywhere outside the cave without him until they had won the battle. He was very protective of her and didn't want her in danger.

He did, however, trust her alone (with Luna) inside their home. She took to exploring on her fifth day out of bed. The numerous tunnels and caverns weren't easy to traverse without getting lost, but Luna could always transport her back and she took great care to memorize each path.

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After a week of exploring, she found a large room tucked away in a corner. It was filled with cages hanging up above. A nightmare sentry snorted at her to not enter any further, but she blew it off. Curious as to what was in the cages, Aisling had Luna fly her up into their midst. There was a boy in one and a girl in another. They appeared to be sleeping. Aisling sent off the nightmares that were guarding them and shook the boy awake, curious as to why he might be there.

"Hello?" she said as the boy blinked awake. His brown eyes were dull and red-rimmed, but brightened slightly as he saw her.

"Aisling?" he asked.

She nodded, confused.

"You're all right!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, father said I was sick for a while, but I got better. Although, I seem to have lost my memory." She replied.

"Your father?" he asked, confused.

She nodded. "What are you doing in this cage?" she asked.

"I was kidnapped and so were you!" he said.

Aisling laughed. "I've been here the whole time. This is my home." She said.

Jamie looked unconvinced, but he didn't push the matter. "Can you possibly get us out of here?"

"Sure!" she said.

She opened each cage with a sand key and helped them onto Luna. "Where do you want to go? I could take you to my father, he might know what to do with you."

"No!" Jamie said, "Um, could you just take us back to our friends and family?"

Aisling thought for a minute. "Okay," she said, "as long as it's a quick trip." She ordered the nightmares to not tell her father then asked where exactly they wanted to go.

Jamie thought for a minute. "The North Pole," he said.

"And where is that?" she asked.

"It's the northernmost part of the planet. It should be the only building around." Jamie replied.

"Ok!" Aisling replied cheerfully, "Let's go Luna."

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 **Yay! They're getting rescued! Ready for the next chapter?**

 **Tsalyah**


	7. Chapter 6: The Return

Chapter 6

Luna faithfully took the three to the North Pole. Aisling's eyes lit up as she saw the beautiful workshop. "Wow!" she exclaimed.

They went in through an open window and landed in a large room with a globe and furry creatures making toys. Aisling was wide-eyed as they walked around.

Jamie called out to one of the big furry creatures, "Where's North?"

The creature pointed to another room and Jamie pushed in first. When they entered, they saw a group of spirits around a table. They looked up at their entrance, expressions freezing.

"I'm back!" Jamie said cheerfully, only to be tackled into a hug a second later by a teary-eyed, white-haired spirit.

Sophie went and hugged a very tall rabbit and Aisling stood watching the scene.

"Well, I'd best be going," she said and turned to leave. She was stopped by a hand gently tugging on hers and looked down to see a short golden man. "Hello?" she said.

He wrote a name in sand above his head.

"Hey, that's pretty cool, you can do the same thing I can." She said.

The name read, "Aisling". "

That's me," she said, "Do you know me?" she asked.

He nodded. He tried to ask what had happened, but she wasn't so adept in her picture reading.

She shook her head. "What?" she asked, "Listen, I need to get home or my dad will worry."

A question mark.

"Who is my father?" she asked.

A nod.

"I'm not sure, I just call him 'father'. I've forgotten his name." she replied.

Another question mark, which she interpreted to why.

"I lost my memory. Father says I was sick and when I woke up, I couldn't remember anything." She explained, "Now I really must be going."

She tugged free of the small hand and headed for the door. A tall woman with a dress made of vines had the last question, "What did you say your name was?"

"Aisling Pitchner."

The room was frozen again as the name sank in. Aisling calmly walked out the door and back home.

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Her father was angry when she came home. "You promised not to leave without me!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking down, "I had to, and I came right back."

"You are grounded!" he said, "You are allowed to go to the training room and back to your room and that is it! The nightmares will watch you."

Aisling agreed to the punishment readily. It was only fair after all- she broke the rules. She knew she could easily lose the Nightmare and run off, but decided to take it with grace.

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Pitch was thinking. 'That child could be the death of me' He thought. Logically, he should get rid of her or take over her mind completely, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to do so. Other matters were more pressing. When the child had taken the Bennet siblings and left, he had thought she wouldn't return. She proved these thoughts wrong by coming back right after she had finished.

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At the pole, the room had been silent. The silence was interrupted by a "What?" from Bunny.

Mother Nature sank into a chair. She had asked a valid question and received an answer she had not wanted to hear.

"Did she just say she was Pitch Black's daughter?" Tooth asked, confused.

"Jamie, what happened?" Jack asked, figuring the boy probably had the best answers.

"Me and Sophie were kidnapped by Pitch and brought to a room full of cages. Pitch locked us up and disappeared for a while, returning with Aisling. Pitch gave us nightmares, but they weren't affecting Aisling very much- she kept purifying them. He found out and started putting nightmare sand in her blood. When she purified that too, he had a nightmare constantly add nightmare sand. It was horrible, she kept getting weaker. One day, when she was too weak to do anything, he said something about a princess and instead of putting nightmare sand in her, he took what looked like black blood from himself and put it in her." He started to explain.

Mother nature interrupted, "He put a Fearling in her?" She asked incredulously. The other Guardians excluding Jack looked sick.

"What's a Fearling?" he asked.

"The embodiment of fear," she said, "No one has ever escaped the possession of one."

Jamie was upset, "We can't help her?"

Bunny shook his head, "We can't rule that out. We don't know if he put a Fearling in her. What happened next?"

"She whimpered and fainted. He took her away and we didn't see her for maybe a week or so. When she came, she chased the nightmares away and asked why we were in the cages. She didn't know who we were. I told her we had been kidnapped and asked her to take us here, which she did." He finished.

A yeti burst into the room shouting before anyone could ask more questions.

"Manny?" North asked. The yeti nodded. "Come!" he declared, "Manny wishes to speak to us."

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The spirits and Jaime stood in the moonbeams presented (Sophie had fallen asleep).

A voice drifted to them. "I saw when the child known as Aisling Fey ceased to exist. I feel I should tell you what happened. Pitch had been carrying the child through a moonlit corridor when she drew her last breath. No mortal child could hope to battle a Fearling. Her will held longer than her body. Pitch was upset at the loss and decided to make her immortal, sharing his own power with her. Thus, the spirit known as Aisling Pitchner was born. Her mind again battled for control. With the strength of an immortal, she won the battle and purified the Fearling inside of her. She is a powerful spirit, though quite young. She might make a good Guardian someday." Manny's voice and the moonbeams faded away.

"She died?" Jamie cried out, the only one seeming to be able to speak.

"That might explain the memory loss," Jack said weakly, trying to come up with something useful to say. The others looked at him, remembering what he had told them about becoming a spirit.

Sandy looked down sadly, knowing he had failed to protect his strongest believer.

Bunny sighed, "I have to get ready," he said, "Easter's in less than a week."

As he left, Tooth said, "We'd best get you home, Jaime."

Jamie turned to her, renewed determination gleaming in his eyes. "I'll help you take Sophie home and I'll talk to my mom, but then I'm coming back here with you. I'm helping you take down Pitch."

"Jamie-" Jack started, but was cut off by Jamie.

"No," he said, "I helped last time and I'll help this time. I'm an adult now and this is my decision."

Jack sighed and nodded, running a hand through his messy hair.

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Jack took Jamie and Sophie home with North. Jamie was subjected to a death hug by his mother as soon as he stepped in the door. Once Sophie was in bed, he told his mother his plans. She looked worried, but agreed that it was his decision. To their surprise, she then addressed Jack. "Take care of him," she told him.

This led to a whole round of questioning on how she could see him. She told them plainly that she had been wishing for a miracle when she felt a chill in the room and had been reminded of Jamie's stories of his best friend, the winter spirit. To her surprise, she had thought about it and then saw a white-haired teen leaving. The police had been confused as to why she wouldn't stop staring out the door.

The visit home having gone well, they returned to the North Pole.

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 **I'm just churning out the chapters. Good thing its spring break!**

 **Tsalyah**


	8. Chapter 7: The Battle

Chapter 7 the battle

The preparations for the battle were taking place in various places around the world. In the amazon, Mother Nature trained her spirits in battle formations. At the Tooth Palace, Tooth had her fairies looking for a particular set of teeth. The rest of the guardians were in Bunny's Warren, making sure the eggs were ready for Easter. Other spirits around the world were gathering in force.

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The day before Easter arrived and Aisling stood with her father in front of an army of nightmare creatures. She could see all manner of beings, ones that flew, that walked on two legs, that walked on four. She was impressed with her father's army, though she knew they were mostly extensions of himself.

"We are ready!" her father declared.

"I thought the battle was tomorrow," Aisling said.

"It will be more of a surprise then," he said, "To Burgess!"

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A tooth fairy flew into the Warren, chirping loudly.

"What?" their mother asked.

"What is it Sheila?" Bunny asked Tooth.

"Nightmares are all over Burgess!" she said.

"It has begun," North said gravely.

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The spirits gathered outside of Burgess for the final battle while Jack went to scout. He returned shortly.

"The nightmares spotted us and the army is coming this way," he said.

"How are the people?" Tooth asked.

"Asleep," he answered easily.

"Nightmare-induced sleep? That can't be good," Bunny said.

Jack shook his head. "They aren't dreaming and the nightmares are ignoring them," he said.

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The nightmares took over Burgess with surprising speed. Aisling had put every human to sleep as they had entered. Now, they were just waiting for word of the opposing army. It came soon enough and the nightmare battalions formed and marched towards the edge of town.

Aisling was confused as to her feelings about war. She had trained hard and wanted to protect her father, but wasn't sure she could hurt anyone. Her silver sand bow in hand, she stood next to her father in the middle of the field.

The first spirits came from the sky, diving at the army. The nightmare creatures rose to meet them. An angry summer spirit dove towards their position with a sharpened saber and she instinctively shot it. The spirit collapsed to the ground at their feet, snoring. All Aisling's fears were relieved, as long as she shot her arrows, she would only put them to sleep.

While the air assault was ongoing, the ground assault started. Aisling saw many spirits of all shapes and sizes. The battle cries were fierce, but she just kept shooting her arrows. It wasn't long before the fiercest fighters reached their position and she faltered in her constant rhythm. Standing before them were the spirits she had returned the brother and sister to along with the brother.

"These are your enemies, father?" she asked.

He nodded, an angry expression on his face.

"Why?" she asked.

"This is not the time," he hissed.

She nodded in agreement as a boomerang flew by.

"Bunny!" Tooth scolded, "You agreed to stick to the plan."

"Aisling, come here, child. Your memories are waiting for you," Tooth called, holding out a golden box.

Aisling's gaze was transfixed on the box. It seemed as if it was calling her to it. She hesitated when she was coming into weapons' range, but Tooth spoke up again.

"We won't hurt you, we promise," she said.

Pitch was frozen in place, literally, and could do nothing to hinder her. A pleading tone came from his mouth, "Aisling, I can't lose you."

Aisling turned back towards her father. "You won't," she said, "I promise." She took the golden box from the Tooth Fairy, running her hand over the cover and was submersed in her memories.

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 _A giggling girl with brown hair and blue eyes sat on top of a spotted horse, riding with two other friends in circles around an arena._

 _The same girl, perhaps at age 7, making bracelets with her mother._

 _A vision of her at age 10 surrounded by books in a library._

 _Dream sand swirling around the girl at age 12 clearly not paying attention in class._

 _A family trip for her birthday to Disney World, age 14._

 _A high school graduation, Pomp and Circumstance loudly playing._

 _Being kidnapped along with two others._

 _And Finally, a nightmare was put inside her and she died under the moon. Then being revived by Pitch, who looked far less evil._

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Aisling sighed as she came out of her memories. "My family will be so upset," she said, "I'm glad I remember them now, though."

"So," North said, "will you join us?"

Aisling thought about it, glancing at Pitch's downcast face. "No," she said, "this whole battle is pointless anyway. It isn't you that he really wants to fight."

A question mark appeared over Sandy's head.

"I am a spirit that is in tune with people's hearts. To put it in terms of the movie, my center is probably a cross between imagination and ideals," she said, "I was always aware that he never lied to me and was always trying to contradict himself. The monsters in his heart make him do things he doesn't want to. Now that I remember battling my own, I think I can probably force them out if you all are ready for a real battle."

"You can free him?" Mother Nature asked.

"I think so," she said, nodding, "but I can't purify them all at once, so you will need to fight, defeat, or capture them while I try dealing with them one at a time."

"We can handle that, da?" North said.

The others agreed, nodding.

The moon had appeared in the sky while they were discussing, and a beam of light interrupted them. A man in white with pale skin and white hair touched down from inside it. "This is the battle that has been long awaited," the Man in the Moon said.

The rest of the battle that had been going on ceased at the appearance of Tsar Lunar himself. "The real battle is starting now!" he called to the spirits, "Take care to avoid possession and fight bravely! I wish all of you luck." "If you would, my dear," he gestured to Aisling.

Aware of the pressure, she walked slowly towards Pitch. She placed her hands on his chest and all his nightmare creatures disappeared. Detaching her hands, she started glowing a brilliant silver. As it covered her body, Pitch tried to step out of the ice, to no avail. Aisling closed her eyes and hugged him. Her power led her to the core of his being where she felt the man's heart surrounded by Fearlings. She steadily passed them until she was at the man's heart. She then poured her power out until his whole being was drenched in her light. The Fearlings fled her purity and left his body.

Coming back to herself, there was chaos again on the battlefield. The man she was hugging was no longer the grey-skinned Pitch Black, but a tanned general, Kozmotis Pitchner.

"Welcome back," she greeted.

"It's good to be back," he returned, in a voice much warmer than Pitch's had been.

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 **Whew. General Kozmotis is back to normal. What will happen now that the fearlings are released?**

 **Tsalyah**


	9. Chapter 8: The End

Chapter 8

There were perhaps 25 Fearlings on the battlefield, battling with various spirits. Weaker spirits and Jamie were off to the side, not having the ability to fight the evil creatures. Manny was battling a fifth Fearling while the other four were restrained by moonbeams. Sandy was faring almost as well, having restrained 3 spirits and was working on a fourth. Toothiana was bravely battling a lone Fearling, having difficulty restraining it without touching it. Bunny and North were battling two each, also without restraining. Mother Nature and Jack were tied at 2 captured and fighting one each. Various spirits were teamed up to deal with the remaining 5.

Aisling sighed and headed for the nearest restrained Fearling, one of Manny's. Kozmotis went to the one next to hers. They purified/destroyed them in about the same amount of time.

At her look, he said, "Did you think I wouldn't have put up a fight before being taken over?"

She shrugged and they moved on to get rid of more Fearlings. Getting rid of them was much easier when not possessed. They had no trouble taking down 24 Fearlings, but the 25th broke out and headed for the edge of the circle towards an unconscious human.

The spirits gave a shout of surprise, but it was Jamie who intercepted the creature, crossing his blades. The Fearling saw its chance at an unguarded body, though not unconscious, and entered the mortal's body.

"No!" several spirits cried, including Aisling.

Jamie collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. Aisling was the first to get to him, rolling him onto his back and sitting on him to make him stay still. Knowing he had very little time, she did what would get her power to his heart quickest- she kissed him.

She purified the Fearling, but wasn't sure if she had been fast enough. She opened her eyes and drew back from him to see a silly grin on his relieved face.

"Didn't realize you felt that way," he said, then dissolved into a coughing fit.

Alarmed, she immediately got off him. Tsar Lunar knelt beside the 20-year-old. The spirits looked to him for hope. He shook his head. "Even a touch of power from a Fearling is too much for a mortal body," he said.

"He's going to die?" Jack asked the question, sounding almost broken.

Manny's mouth quirked at his son's attachment. "No," he said, "It's not the first time I was forced to make someone into a spirit before I had planned. I've had my eye on this one for a while, though I had hoped to wait until he was an old man. I suppose his energy may still benefit him."

"When was the first time?" Jack asked, his mind trying to figure out what that meant.

Manny looked up at him fondly. "You," he said, "I could only revive you after death because it was during daytime and I was unable to get to you, but I'm at least here for this one, so he won't need to go through that pain."

He placed a palm on Jamie's forehead. A soft white light spread and when it retreated, Jamie was breathing easily again.

He sat up. "I don't feel any different," he said.

"He doesn't look different either," one of the other spirits said.

"Of course not," Manny laughed, "there wasn't a whole lot to do to him." He spoke directly to Jamie this time, "Your name is James Story and you are also known as Storyteller. Every culture has a storyteller, so there should be no shortage of those who can see you. I need you to spread the stories across the world. Everything else you will need to figure out on your own, I have been away from the moon for far too long." With that, the man in the moon was gone in a moonbeam.

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The sun was starting to set when one of the spring sprites asked, "Now what?"

Bunny took one look at the sky and opened a portal, "I've got to go. No messing with my egg hunt, you hear?" he threatened Kozmotis before disappearing.

The spirits gradually dispersed until only Kozmotis, Mother Nature, Aisling, 'James', and four Guardians remained.

"Oh, James," Jack said in a teasing voice.

"You promised you would never call me that when you found out what my real first name was!" Jamie protested, getting to his feet.

"Father?" Mother Nature addressed Kozmotis, "Are you really back?"

"Of course, Emily," he said, pulling her into a hug.

Mother nature enjoyed the hug for a minute before pulling away and hitting him with a right hook.

"I deserved that," Kozmotis said, rubbing his face.

"I'll say, father," Aisling snorted, then looked uncertain.

He beckoned her over. "Aisling, I want you to meet my first daughter, Emily Jane Pitchner," he said.

The girl looked shyly at Mother Nature. "Hi," she managed.

Mother Nature rolled her eyes and hugged her. "I always wanted a sister," she said, "but I didn't think I'd get one when I was as old as my mother."

Aisling was overwhelmed, but relaxed slightly and when the hug ended she looked over to the other spirits.

Jack, being his usual self, bounded over to greet her. He like his mother, gave her a hug. "Guess this makes you my aunt!" he said cheerfully, only to notice she was staring.

"Jack Frost just hugged me," she stated.

Jack nodded, confused.

Her shy mood was forgotten as she got a red tinge to her cheeks, fangirling inside. "I've dreamt about what I would do if I met you," she said, "This situation never crossed my mind though." She greeted Sandy next, "I wondered if I would meet you too. I dreamt so often that I figured it might be inevitable." "What kid doesn't dream of catching Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy at their work!" she said. She breathed out, losing the tinge to her cheeks and gaining a happy smile. "It's nice to meet you all!" she said.

"What about me?" Jamie asked.

"What about you?" Aisling asked, tilting her head.

"What did you think of me?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

Aisling was confused. "I've only known you for a month," she said.

"So?" he asked, stepping into her bubble.

"You have a quill behind your ear," she observed, nervous and saying the first thing that came to mind.

He stepped back again to look. "Huh," he mused putting it back behind his ear and stepping forward again.

Her face reddened in color and she knew she couldn't tell him she thought he was cute.

He took her color change as her answer anyway, cupping her chin and kissing her.

There was an 'aww' from Tooth and a cough from Kozmotis. Jack choke.

Jamie leaned back from the red girl, now slightly embarrassed he had done something like that in front of an audience. He was confused when she suddenly started laughing, losing her own embarrassment. Giggles, Guffaws, and pure laughter broke out behind him.

"What?" Jamie asked.

"Your hair!" Aisling said between her laughter, collapsing to the ground.

Jamie tried in vain to get a good look at his short hair and Jack took mercy on him, making a piece of mirrored ice to see himself with. He was sporting pale pink hair. As he looked in horror at his reflection, it turned to white. His mouth quirked into a smile and he laughed with the others as it turned a brilliant yellow color.

As the laughter died down, Jack stated the obvious: "This might take some getting used to."

 **There it is. That's the end of this one. Sorry if it seems abrupt, but I wanted to make a sequel about Jamie and Aisling getting used to their new lives and I was going to get too into it if I continued. The sequel will pick up where this one left off. I'll call it 'The newest spirits' and the first chapter should be up soon. What did you think of the story?**

 **Tsalyah**


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